Internal-combustion engine.



H. A. KNOX. INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED JULZlS, 1912.

Patentedflct. 14, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHBBT 1.

LVVEN'TOR, Harry if, Knew,

A 7101mm?- H. A. KNOX.

INTERNAL GOMBUSTIDN ENGINE.

APPLIGATION FILED JULY 16,1912,

To all whom may 0021mm Be it known that I, HARRY A. Knox, a citizen ofthe United {States America, siding at Springfield. in the county ofHampden and State of lilasscchusetts, have invented new and usefulImprovements in lnternal-Combustion l lngines, of which the following isa specification.

This invention relates to improvements in internal combustion. enginesof the type in which. a sliding sleeve is used to control the inlet andexhaust ports.

The primary object of the invention is to provide improved form ofpositively act ing slide valves to control the outgoing haust gases fromthe combustion chamber and to control the incoming charge to thecombustion chamber. I

In carrying out the objects of the invention, the usual stationarycylinder is employed which is bolted OT-OtlIQZWlSQ secured to the crankcase. 2i movable valve-sleeve is located in the cylinder and has asliding bearing; on the inner surface of the cylinder Wall. The usualpiston is located Within the movable sleeve and a cylinder head which isattached to and closes the upper end oi the cylinder provides aconvenient means for gaining access to the interior of the cylinder forcleaning or repairs. This head is so formed that a part of the sameprojects into the cylinder so to make or leave an annular space betweenit and the inside Wall of the cylinder and into which space the uppermost end of the sleeve slides or moves. said sleeve having a hearing onsaid downwardly projecting portion of the cylinder-head.

Located in parallel relation to the axis of the cylinder, and in oneside thereof, is formed a groove or, channel Which extends the entirelength of the bore of the cylinder. In this channel is located a slidevalve which moves freely up and down. This valve is concave-co" v incross section. the concave part of W lC... hears nst the outer convexsurface the valve sleeve. said hearing sow faces ha mg the same i: dius.

if'tclor :o my invention, internal couil'aistion. have been constrmrtcdwith slide valves in which two sliding slecvcs are our ploycd, engineshaving; a single sliding; sleev the sleeve levies; an oscillatingas Wella rs ocati motion impacted thereto. 1 m also aware that engines havebeen euil" noble slidingslecve comivit vsive at the side; also It amaware that engines have been built With one sliding sleeve and areciprocating round plug valve in the sigle ot' the cylinder.

In engines of the two sleeve type, the side thrust of the piston at twopoints in the en gine cycle is directly transmitted against both thesleeves with the result that about twice as much friction is developedas with the single sleeve type ct engine, resulting in a large loss ofeiilciency. In engines which employ a single sleeve and to which areciprocating and oscillating motion is imparted, it is necessary togive to the sleevea longer stroke with a result that loss by friction isenhanced in providing su'tiicient exhaust and. inlet openings. lfn thistype of engines a very complicated means of operation is necessarilyrequired.

In many internal combustion engines having a single sleeve and arotating valve or round plug and a slide valve at the side, there isafter each exhaust stroiie, at large volume of the burned gas caught inthe haust port of the cylinder, and also in the port of the rotating orsliding valve with the result that vvhen a fresh charge is drawn intothe cylinder these exhaust or burned gases are sucked haclr into thecombustion chamber on the iii-take stroke, thus diluting the incoming)cl arse and again reducine' ciiiciency of the In the present inventionthese various objections have been OVOX'COYIIQ by the use a singlesliding sleeve and a single sliding valve. in which the movable sleeveis provided with only a single port thereby reducing the loss by leakageto a minimum; and as the inlet charge is immodiatcly drawn in throughthis port after the hot exhaust gases have been expelled therefrom, thenew incoming gases have a tendency to cool the port edges and to keepthem free from the carbon deposits.

lily invention Will be fully described by reference to the accompanying"drawings which form a part of the specification and in ivhich,-

l in'ure l a vertica longitudinal seetime through the axis of thecylinder showing the relation of the single sleeve and sliding: valve:also illustrating the driving connection between the engine shaft andthe crank or eccentric shaft, end the connections hctwcen the piston,sleeve, sliding valve, and the eccentric shaft. Fig. 2 is a transversesectional vievv on the line 2--2 of Fig. 1 showing the relation of thesliding" sleeve and slide valve at the point in. the cycle of operationsat the beginning of the working or power stroke, with the exhaust portclosed. Fig. 3 is a detailed. view on the line 3-8 of Fig. 1 showing theopening in the slide valve through which the inlet or incoming chargepasses and its relation to the sliding sleeve; also showing the singleopening in the sleeve. Fig. is a detailed view showing the relation ofthe moving parts at the beginning of the opening of the exhaust port,and particularly, the position of the piston when in its lowermostposition and about to return on its upward or exhaust stroke. Fig. 5shows the position. of the movable parts at the instant the exhaust portcloses, and the inlet port is about to open. Fig. tl shows the positionof the movable parts when the inlet has just closed and the piston isabout to make its compression. stroke.

Referring to the drawings in detail a designates the cylinder of theengine and bthe crank-case which is attached to the lower end of thecylinder in the usual way. in this crank-case is located the crank-shaftc and the cam or eccentric shaft d.

e designates a chain drive between the two shafts and, as usual, therate of rotation is made two to one, that is to say,--two revolutions ofthe crankshaft to one of the cam or eccentric shaft.

f designates the cylinder head that is se cured to, and closes the upperend of, the cylinder a and which\ projects downward into the bore of theengine cylinder as shown. This cylinder head formed with its dependingportion 9 of smaller diameter than the bore of the cylinder to providethe space it between the depending portion 9" and the internal wall ofthe cylinder. This space is designed to receive the upper end i of themovable sleeve 9' which hasa bearing on said portion 9 of the head. Thesleeve is operated by means of the connecting rod is, its upper endbeing connected to the lug m on the lower end of the sleeve 7'. and itslower connection being made with the cam or eccentric shaft d.

0 designates a slide valve which is mounted in a channel or groove 39that is drilled or formed in parallel relation to the axis of teecylinder (2 and of the same length." This slide Valve is operable fromthe cam-shaft (Z by means of a connecting rod ,7 its upper end beingattached to a lug 71 on the lower end of the slide'valve 0 and its lowerend connected to the camshaftoZ. The slide valve 0 is provided with twoports, an inlet port 1" and an exhaust port a. lhe sleeve 7', isprovided with a single opening 4), in the upper portion thereof, whichat'a certain point in the cycle of operation, will register with theinlet port r and at another point with the exhaust port 16. ii hen theopening o registers with the inlet port 9", comnuinication isestablished between the inte rior of the cylinder and the port a, whichallows the charge from the carburetor to pass through the pipe 8 to thecylinder. 0

When the opening 0 registers with the port in the slide valve 0,communication is established between the interior of the cylinder andthe exhaust port a, which allows the burned gases to escape through theexhaust pipe u. The usual water jacket is shown at w, and the pipeconnections leading thereto at m and The manner of connecting the rodsand g and the sleeve j and slide valve 0 is such that they are nearlyninety degrees apart, as clearly shown in the figures, and havesubstantially the same length of stroke, the difference in the length ofstroke being indicated by the circles shown at 3, Fig. l. The usualpiston and packing rings are shown at i and 5. The direction of rotationof the engine shaft is shown by thearrow 6, and therefore during thepower or explosive stroke, the thrust action of the connecting rod '2'between the piston 7 and the shaft 0 is directed away from the slidevalve 0 thus permitting this valve to Sllle lfl0l'8 freely withpractically no loss from friction. This is an i ortantfeature as in enines of the two sleeve type the thrust of the connecting rod that istransmitted to the inner sleeve and from that to the outer sleeveresults in loss of elliciency in operation.

Referring now to the operations of the sleeve j, slide valve 0, and thepiston of the engine: In the position of the parts shown in 1, thepiston is just starting on its power stroke with both the inlet andexhaustports closed. Fig. t shows the position of the parts at the endof the power stroke and the beginning of the registration of the port 11with the exhaust port if in the slide valve and the port a ,the sleeve jand the slide valve 0 both traveling in the same direction, but thesleeve traveling faster than the slide valve. The position. of the partsas shown in Fig. 5 is after the piston has reached the end of itsexhaust stroke and the burned gases have been expelled and the port 1)closed from communication with the port 6. This is also the position ofthe parts at the beginning of the suction or in take stroke as thecontinued movement of "the slide valve downward. will bring the ports 7'and 0 into registration and permit a fresh charge to enter thecombustion chamber.

The position of the parts. shown in Fig. 6 is that at the end of thesuction stroke after the closure'of the inlet ports '1) and r has takenplace and at thebeginning of the compression stroke, the last stepshowingthe position of the parts as in Fig. lwhich is at the beginning(it the explosive or power stroke with the ports closed. At the end ofthe exhaust stroke of the piston, the

exhaust passage in the slide valve moves down and out of register Withthe port in the sleeve. The inlet passage in' the slide valve comes intoregister With the port in the sleeve immediately after the exhaustpassage is closed and during the suction stroke of the piston. Thisallows the incoming charge to pass through the inlet port of thecylinder, through the inlet passage of the slide valve, through the portin the sleeve into the combustion chamber.

i l hat I claim, is

In an internal. combustion engine, the combination of a cylinder havinga channel 0; groove formed in the bore of the cylinder and extending theentire length of said bore, e sleeve in niovablecontact With the insidesurface of said cylinder, a piston in movable contact with the inside ofsaid sleeve, a valve member movable in said channel in contact With apart. of the external surface 0t said sleeve, a port in the sleevethrough which the inlet and rxhaust gases pass, an exhaust passage inthe valve member ada9ted to form a communication with tie port in thesleeve and with the exhaust port in the cylinder during the exhauststroke of the piston, an inlet port in the valve menibcr adapted to forma eonin'iunicition with the port in the sleeve and with the inlet portin the cylinder during the iii-take or snotion stroke of the piston and,connecting rods directly connecting the lower ends of said sleeve andvalve member with cranks on the eccentric shaft, means for impartingmotion to the sleeve, eccentric shaft, and slide valve.

Witnesses WM. H. glint 1N, K. I. Ciimsjoizs.

